University to open new football parking spaces for next season

To accommodate the floods of Buckeye fans that inundate campus during football season, the university will open new parking spots for next year’s season.

New spots will be available at the Lane Avenue Garage, the Fawcett Center paved lot and additional game-day parking in the grass areas east of the Fawcett Center.

These additions will alleviate the stress of trying to find parking on game days, but the grass field at Ackerman and Olentangy roads will not be available because of the construction of a new field hockey facility.

“The Lane Avenue Garage will be open, making 1,400 day-of-game parking spaces. The Fawcett Center paved parking lot has about 500 spaces but will become pass-only and is day-of-game parking now,” said Sarah Blouch, director of OSU Transportation and Parking Services. “We will be losing 400 parking spaces with the construction at Ackerman and Olentangy.”

Students with a current OSU parking permit can park in the day-of-game parking at the Lane Avenue Garage. The Lane garage is appealing because of its proximity to the stadium, but spaces are limited.

“Students who want to purchase a pass for the Fawcett lot need to contact Athletics,” Blouch said. “Prices of the passes have not been defined yet.”

This year, parking in the lot cost $10 per vehicle on game days. But tailgaters beware: Grills are not allowed in garages because of fire risks.

“Day-of-game parkers who wish to grill may continue to do so in surface day-of-game parking lots,” Blouch said. “These lots include the grass area at the Fawcett, Buckeye Lot, Ackerman Lot, West Campus lots and [Agricultural] Campus lots, which are along Cannon Drive and on South Campus.”

There are other options for off-campus parking, as well. Shuttles run from West Campus, the Ohio Expo Center and the OSU Airport. A new option this year is the Pedal Instead bicycle valet program. The bike corral is located on the east end of the Woody Hayes Bridge at the south side of Woody Hayes Drive. For more information, visit pedalinstead.org.

Details regarding season permits for the Fawcett Center lots will be available March 1, 2010, at ohiostatebuckeyes.com

For more information regarding parking next year, visit tp.ohiostate.edu.